Garden Pests

It never fails that every year gardeners across the country spend hour after hour preparing their garden and just when it’s time to sit back and enjoy it the pests begin to appear.

Keep an eye on your garden and as you notice pest damage take steps to stop it immediately. Taking steps to protect the plants under attack, will also protect your healthy plants.

Here are a few common pests you might see in your garden this spring:

Slugs

  • Garden pests that appear when the soil is moist.
  • They are most active 2 hours after sunset and 2 hours before sunrise.
  • Slugs are found under rocks, drain pipes and planters.
  • Slugs chew on seedlings and shoots of edible and ornamental plants. They leave behind large holes in the plant.
  • Learn how to control slugs in your garden.

 Spider Mites

  • Spider mites attack plants by biting and sucking out the contents of the plant cells. The damage causes yellow or white spots on the plants.
  • Once the spider mites feed on a plant, the entire foliage will become discolored, and if not controled the plant will die.
  • Another sign of spider mites is a fine silk webbing on plants.
  • Learn how to control spider mites on your plants. If you use a control product, be sure to read and follow label directions.

 Fire Ants

  • These aggressive pests are prominent in southern yards.
  • When threatened, fire ants will attack humans. Their bites and stings leave the victim with a burning and itching sensation.
  • Fire ant nests are large, hard mounds built into garden beds and lawns.
  • Eliminating fire ants is a difficult battle, often even reinfesting an area once treated to remove the mound. Learn the best ways to control fire ants in your yard.

 Aphids

  • Aphids come in different colors, some have wings, others do not but it is their destructive sap sucking that is the characteristic most gardeners identify.
  • Found on the under side of leaves, flowers, and branches aphids attack plants by sucking plant juices and causing stunted and distorted growth.
  • As they move through the garden, aphids will carry plant diseases from one plant to another.
  • Protect your plants from aphids by choosing the right control product.

Ants

  • Ants are a nuisance. They creep through the yard, in the garden and even in the house. Mostly just annoying, they can also contaminate food.
  • Following sanitary practices around the house will help keep ants away.
  • To stop ants before they enter your home, start by taking preventative steps outside.

Plant garlic in the garden to keep aphids away.